


Mac + Misunderstandings + Jack + Love Confession

by ArthursKnight



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29381613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArthursKnight/pseuds/ArthursKnight
Summary: Mac is not good with words. It's not a secret. When he ends up saying the wrong thing to Jack, their friendship is completely ruined. Will he manage to fix it and make his true feelings known?
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	Mac + Misunderstandings + Jack + Love Confession

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys! Long time no see in this fandom, uh?  
> This is my latest MacDalton fanfic, a request I got on Tumblr.
> 
> I gave up watching s4, refuse to watch s5. They did my man Jack too dirty and I hate the new characters anyways LMAO
> 
> I'd like to thank @commanderbunnbunn for beta-ing. As always, English is not my first language, so any further mistake you find is entirely my own!
> 
> Enjoy

Mac sat down on the porch, stretching his aching arms and legs.

Their constant life-or-death missions left him barely able to sleep or eat, his usual sharp mind heavy and fogged up. He really needed a nap.

The fire pit was empty, as usual when his house welcomed only him and his best friend.

Mac took a long breath, relaxing his muscles. It had been a good idea to not have anyone else over. His dry eyes burned, fighting to stay open.

“Jack?” The young man yawned, turning to look at the man.

“Yeah?” The Texan stood next to him, holding two cold beers. He handed one to Mac, brushing his hand with his fingers; the light of the afternoon sun defined the muscles in his bare arms, making Mac’s mouth water.

It was weird, what Jack made him feel. Mac rarely lusted after anyone, and when it happened it meant he was falling in love.

His heart skipped a beat.

 _Oh, crap_.

Shaking his head, Mac grabbed the bottle and smiled at his friend. He hoped his feelings did not show on his face. Jack was straight. There were no chances of them being an item.

“I was thinking-“

“Is there ever a moment you ain’t thinking, lad?” Jack laughed, sitting down. As he spread his long legs in front of himself, the ex-Delta took a swing from his beer. Mac’s breath stopped for a moment as his eyes observed Jack swallow. “What’s goin’ on in that head of yours now?”

Mac chuckled, licking his lips.

“Okay, yeah, you’re right. So…”

“So?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

Mac fixed his eyes on the ground as he forced himself to rationalize his thoughts.

“We’ve been on so many operations, Jack.”

Too many, and yet Mac didn’t see himself doing anything else. Jack was different, though.

“Mmh, yeah.” Jack agreed.

“Do you remember when you told me you wished you had never met me?” Staring at the beverage in his hand, Mac cursed himself. Those weren’t the words he wanted to start this conversation with.

Jack’s answer was careful, as if testing the waters.

“You mean when you used my blood to keep that heart alive?”

Mac nodded. Daring to look up, he met the older man’s eyes. They were warm, dark as the ground after the rain, lines of worry decorating them. Mac wished he could get lost in the shards of light caught in the brown. Maybe if things were different.

“You don’t reckon I meant that, right? Besides, it was years ago, Mac! Why are you bringing it up now?” Jack ran his hand through his faux hawk, frowning.

“I-Uh.” Mac drank his beer and got a paperclip from his pocket. His fingers shaped it mindlessly. “Since you met me, you’ve faced more dangers than any normal person.”

“And would’ve done it regardless, bud.” Jack shook his head, his eyes wide in disbelief. “We met in the Sandbox, man! I’m a Delta, I worked for the CIA… It’s just my life.”

Shrugging, Mac took a long breath and clicked his tongue against his palate. Why was talking so hard? This was Jack, the only person besides Bozer that truly understood him.

“I guess what I am trying to say is that I wish I had never met you either, you know.” Mac cursed himself at the realization of what came out of his mouth.

“What?” His mouth agape, Jack stared at Mac with misty eyes. Catching his tongue between his bared teeth, a motion Mac had come to understand as a sign the man was trying to control his emotions, Jack whispered: “You don’t mean that.”

“I do. It would’ve been better for the both of us if you’d just gone back to Texas after we met, Jack.” Mac clenched his fist around the paperclip, the sharp edges biting his palm. This was not going how it was supposed to go. Quite the opposite.

“Wow.” Jack averted his eyes, nodding to himself. His jaw clenched as he stared at the sun, silent for a few minutes. “I didn’t know that’s how you felt, Mac. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Jack, wait-”

“Nah. Message received, Mac. I guess I’ll see myself out.”

The ex-soldier got up, his beer forgotten on the ground, and walked away.

When the door to his house shut closed, Mac closed his eyes and hid his face in his hands.

The paperclip fell on the ground.

Going to retrieve it, Mac noticed its shape. Texas.

He was an idiot.

Alone in his dark apartment, Jack silenced his phone and threw it on the counter.

Damn everyone, damn Phoenix, and especially damn Angus MacGyver.

_How could he say that? After everything?_

Jack shut his eyes, his face crumpling. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sniffled, his eyes darting around and seeing nothing.

He covered his mouth with a hand, muffling the sobs.

If this life had taught him anything, it was that he had to let his emotions out or they would eat him alive. Jack still hated it.

His heart ached in his chest, something he had not felt in years, the beats so slow he could’ve been dead.

Wishing that were the case, Jack walked to his fridge and got a bottle of whiskey. Not bothering for a glass, he took off the cap and took a swing. Some of the liquid dripped down his chin.

Breathing in and out, Jack counted the seconds for each intake and outtake. His eyes fluttered as the tears stopped. With heavy legs, the ex-Delta walked to his armchair and dropped himself on it.

His body protested, pain shooting through his spine.

“Why?” He muttered with a grimace. Jack knew, deep down, that his romantic feelings for Mac were unrequired, but he thought that they were at least friends. That the too-smart-for-his-own-good boy with the burger name cared about him.

_Well, you were fucking wrong, Dalton._

Jack huffed, drinking the whiskey with big gulps. He wanted to feel rage, wanted to break things, and yet inside him there was just a hole.

Everything Mac and he shared was worthless. The Sandbox. Phoenix. The days and nights spent together. The times talking at dad’s grave together.

Jack gulped, new tears falling down his face. The last one stung the most. Pops was the most important thing in his life, apart from Mac. And he would have loved the young man.

Taking another drink, he leaned on the armrest and got up; his body dragged him to the wardrobe and to the box he kept his pop’s dog tags in.

His fingers trailed it reverently.

“Hey, dad.” Opening the box, Jack grabbed the tags and held them to his chest. He was sure his dad was listening. “It’s-uh, it’s never easy for us. Yeah? Dammit…” He bit the inside of his cheek. “I need yer help, y’know? I don’t think I can deal with this alone. I barely kept it together after Diane.” A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “It’s just… You always knew what to say. What to do. And Mac… What did I do to make him despise me so much? How do I fix this, dad?”

Jack bit his tongue; he held the tags for a moment longer, then kissed them and put them back.

His heart was lighter, somehow, but still hurt.

Dreading the fact tomorrow he would have to be in close contact with Mac, he went to sleep early.

With a pounding headache, Mac walked into the Phoenix headquarters.

After Jack had left him alone, he had tried to focus on some of his incomplete projects. To no avail. Every time he picked something up, his brain showed him Jack’s betrayed expression.

His dark eyes haunted him all night.

Mac was always amazed at how he could ruin the only important human relationships he had with the same ease someone else bit into an apple.

_It’s all my damn fault._

Running his hand on his face to wash away the tiredness, Mac entered the meeting room.

Everyone else, Jack included, was already there.

His friend – could he still call him that? – was paler than he had ever seen him, leaning onto the wall and with a neutral expression crowned by dark circles under his eyes.

“Hey, Mac!” Bozer patted him on the shoulder. His bright smile was like a punch in the gut. “How’s it going?”

Mac forced himself to smile, squeezing Bozer’s arm.

“I’m okay, what about you?”

“Enough chit-chat!” Matty eyed them; Mac wondered how she could seem so intimidating. “We have work to do.”

“Oh, come on,” Riley piped in, “it can’t be that bad, can it?”

She had her laptop in her lap, ready to search up anything Matty wanted her to.

“When isn’t it that bad, Riley? Anyways,” Matty walked in front of the screens, “this is just an update of sorts. You’re not going out yet.”

They all stared at her.

“What?” Jack growled, standing straight. “Are you telling me this could’ve been an e-mail?”

“No, Dalton. The information is too sensitive.” Their boss deadpanned. “Jack Dalton, how long have you been in this business? You know how it works.”

Jack clicked his tongue against his palate, crossing his arms.

“Screw it.”

He went for the door, but Matty crossed his path.

“What’s your problem, Dalton?”

“Oh, I have no problems, Matilda. But maybe, _someone else_ does.” Jack frowned at Mac, his jaw clenched and nostrils flared.

Everyone looked at him with wide eyes, their gazes darting between Mac and Jack.

Mac wished the ground would swallow him whole. He had really fucked up. Fighting the urge to cry, he answered.

“I-”

“Save it, MacGyver. Webber, tell us whatever you called us for and let’s be done with this.”

Mac nodded, looking down. He didn’t know how to fix this.

“Okay,” Matty hesitated, “well, here’s the deal…”

As Matty explained they needed to stay back until they could get more information on the target and their position’s safety measures, Bozer nudged Mac and mouthed: “What’s going on?”

“Later,” Mac mouthed back. He wasn’t even sure he knew what was really going on, just that he had fucked up.

His friend nodded, sighing.

“So, what’s going between you and the big guy?”

Bozer and Mac sat down on opposite sides of the table, the café they had chosen full of people enjoying their time together.

Mac sighed, staring at the menu to avoid looking at his friend.

“I… I hurt him. I didn’t mean to.” He bit the nail of this thumb. “I wanted to tell him something important, but it backfired, and now… Well, I guess he thinks I hate him.”

Bozer blinked.

“You gotta be joking. What the hell did you say, Mac?”

The waitress interrupted their conversation and asked for their orders, giving Mac time to think. When she went away, he took a long breath and explained.

“You’ve known about my feelings for Jack for a while, right?”

“Dude! Everyone knows!” Bozer relaxed on his seat, hands joined together. “So?”

“So. I realized how I really felt just yesterday.” Mac ran his hand through his hair, biting the inside of his cheek. “While I was talking to Jack.”

“Let me guess.” Bozer grimaced and touched his chin with his hand. “You panicked.”

“Well. Not exactly?”

His friend raised an eyebrow.

Mac was grateful it was just the two of them, every other person in the café just busy with their own life. He felt extremely stupid.

“I wanted to talk to him about, well, retiring.” He fell silent as the waitress gave them their coffees, all polite smiles and meaningless chatting. She gave them their receipt and walked away, so Mac continued. “You know I am bad with words, Boz.”

“That’s an understatement, dude.”

“I told him I wished I never met him, Bozer.” Mac deadpanned.

Bozer shrieked, grabbing the attention of a few customers. An apologetic smile was all it took for them to turn away as he angrily whispered.

“Mac! What the hell were you thinking?”

“Apparently, I wasn’t thinking.” Mac bit his bottom lip, facepalming. “And I really, _really_ , need to fix this. But I don’t know how to do it, man.”

“Talk to him.”

“Seriously? That’s all you got?” Mac frowned. His fingers tapped on the table as he drank his coffee. He was desperate.

“Yes.” Bozer rolled his eyes. “You need to tell him how you actually feel. Gosh, you can be so idiotic at times, you know that?”

Mac snorted, looking away for a second.

“I’m not good at this, Boz.”

“You gotta try. Dammit, Mac, the man loves you. And we both know he’s the best thing that ever happened to you! You can’t let yourself drive him away.”

Mac agreed, and yet his heart was running wild just at the thought of confronting Jack.

“Okay. You’re right…”

“’Course I am.”

Back at the Phoenix, Mac let Bozer go with Riley.

They were going to look up more security information in another room, so Mac thought this was his best chance to talk to Jack.

He took a long breath and approached the dark-haired man, who was cleaning his gun at one of the tables.

“Jack?”

The ex-Delta eyed him, frowning.

“What do you want?” His hand rested on the weapon as he stilled. Somehow, Mac thought Jack would try to ignore him. He was glad it wasn’t the case.

“Just… We need to talk,” the younger man gulped and bit his bottom lip.

“About?”

“Me being an idiot.” Mac sat next to Jack, their chairs facing each other, and his eyes never left the other man’s. “Please. I am so sorry, Jack…”

The Texan shook his head, his nostrils flaring. His left eye twitched, as if he was holding back some of his emotions.

“You made your opinion clear, MacGyver.”

“No, I didn’t! And I hurt you and… I didn’t mean that, Jack. I beg you.” Mac’s gaze fell to the ground, his eyes getting wet. “I fucked up.”

Jack was silent for a few moments, tapping his fingers on the table. Each second that passed stabbed Mac in the guts.

“Why did you say that?” The ex-Delta whispered, so low Mac almost didn’t catch it.

The younger spy blinked. His mouth opened a couple of times as he tried to find the right words for it. He grimaced and nodded to himself.

“I thought… Well. My real feelings will ruin our friendship, but-” His eyes found Jack’s dark ones.

“Isn’t it already ruined?”

“Yeah.” Mac sighed. “I just- I was scared, Jack.”

“Of?” Jack raised both eyebrows, running his thumb against his bottom lip.

Mac looked around. No one paid attention to them, so he did the most foolish thing he would ever do in his entire life. He leaned on Jack and kissed him, his hand holding the other man’s cheek.

“I love you.” Tears fell down Mac’s face, a single sob leaving his lips. “And I know you don’t feel the same but I-I had to tell you, even if it’ll destroy what we have now.”

Jack widened his eyes; his right arm wrapped around Mac while he held the younger spy’s head with his free hand.

“You’re an idiot.” Their lips met again in a soft kiss. To Mac, it felt like hours before they parted. “We both are, God damn it.”

“You’re… Not mad?” His voice broken, Mac pressed his forehead against Jack’s chest.

“Mac, I’ve loved you since the Godforsaken Sandbox. I just thought- Well. I thought you would never love me back. But if friendship was the only thing I ever got? I was happy with that too. And I would have been happy to see you with someone else, if they were right for you.”

Mac wheezed.

“Well, now I wish I could say the same but, uh, I was way slower to understand my feelings.”

“Feelings ain’t your strong suit, lad.”

“They really aren’t.”

They shared a laugh, the tension between them completely gone. Mac’s muscles relaxed into Jack’s hold, his arms wrapping around the man’s neck. Jack’s hand ran through his hair as the ex-Delta kissed his temple.

“I am sorry.”

“It’s okay, Mac. I mean- It could’ve happened in a better way, I guess, but I am glad we told each other about how we feel.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“I bet this was Pop’s doing.”

“You talked to your dad?” Mac tilted his head, looking softly at Jack. “We should really go visit him later.”

“Hey!” Bozer piped in. Neither of them had seen him get close, and he was standing with his eyes crossed. “If you finally fixed the situation, do you mind coming into the Meeting Room? We’re ready and just waiting for you two.”

Jack and Mac shared a look.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re coming.”

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? <3
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> If you want to get in touch with me, I am @deanbennyforthewin on Tumblr!


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